Trixee's Passive Solar Build Perth

Treeseachanger · Sep 01, 2014 5:16 pm

Hi Trixee, this sounds all wrong to me. Can you get some advice from building ombudsman or similar? Prestart variations all incur the extra builder's percentage (it's their bread and butter) and as D-rail said, sometimes it's too late at that stage to make the changes you want anyway.

trixee · Sep 01, 2014 5:45 pm

When I interviewed previous clients, they said they did the variations at cost, so I'm hopeful about that. I will be asking how much the variation fee is just in case. If they wanted to requote as a new build, then I'd want to nullify the PPA and go to tender again. Not sure on the legalities there, but I don't see why I couldn't.

housebythewater · Sep 01, 2014 9:50 pm

Hi Trixee - my comment is completely unqualified so the usual grain of salt is required. I don't think the price increase is unbelievable, just the fact that it is passed on to you when you did not cause the delays. Our builders tried to increase our build price (citing inflation) because we didn't want it finished too fast, but we had not invested as much time/money/effort as you have at that point and we were prepared to walk, so they held their price. (In the end, I think the build time difference for our house will be almost the norm anyway.) Whatever you do, make sure everything is in writing one way or another. We signed our contract with some of the addenda details not right - i.e. things that the builder said they'd do but hadn't updated the addenda, but I had a record of everything on email and I've resent those emails back to them at times to show what had been agreed. (Essential given the turnover of staff in the industry.) Mostly there were no problems this way, though my bargaining power was definitely reduced once the contract was signed. I had most of the big things dealt with before contract signing.

D_rail · Sep 01, 2014 10:03 pm

Whilst there were things we couldn't change, they are things we can live with. We made sure that we could live with things the way they were in our contract even though they weren't exactly as we wished them (e.g. Cavity sliders). We'd do things slightly differently next time but we rushed this time to try and beat Winter. It certainly didn't work and ultimately those changes had to be done before we could start anyway.

I'm not sure of your cost increase as a percentage of total cost, but I've kept a close eye in the pricing of some displays over the past twelve months. My gut feel in the increase over the twelve month period is around 2-3%. I expect the actual increase may have been more, but somewhat masked by the repeal of the carbon tax.

trixee · Sep 02, 2014 1:25 am

Thanks HBTW and drail. Will try to make sure to get everything in writing!

The builder is citing cost increases of 5-10% across the board. Seems a bit high but I have no real way of knowing. My gut feel is that they are not trying to rip us off, they come across as quite genuine people and it's a small company so they don't have the price bargaining power of larger builders. I hope I'm not being too naive, I want to believe there are decent people in the industry! Without knowing the exact details I have to take them at face value, but will try to cover my *** as much as possible in the contracts.

Also, apparently a bunch of industries got large exemptions from the carbon tax, including the cement industry, so no relief from that end either.

Treeseachanger · Sep 02, 2014 8:20 am

I can't see how a smaller company can keep customers with such a price increase. They tend to have less admin staff and lower overheads which offsets the disparity between them and volume builders...

trixee · Sep 02, 2014 9:43 am

Hm, that's true.

trixee · Sep 04, 2014 1:03 am

I have a bit more progress to report! The demolition permit and verge permits have been approved, and I'm meeting with the interior designers tomorrow. I'm hoping that will be a lot of fun.

housebythewater · Sep 04, 2014 1:05 am

Sounds like fun to me. Enjoy it and full report please!

asha · Sep 04, 2014 1:09 am

Looks like you're getting to the exciting bits Trixee

ardie514 · Sep 04, 2014 1:17 am

Interior designer will be lots of fun. So exciting! Can't wait to see some of your selections.

Rache · Sep 04, 2014 1:25 am

Coming up to the best bits trixee! Have heaps of fun tomorrow.

MalSannie · Sep 04, 2014 5:52 am

Ooo can I go with?

Have fun can't wait to see photos of selections

Treeseachanger · Sep 04, 2014 10:56 am

trixee

I have a bit more progress to report! The demolition permit and verge permits have been approved, and I'm meeting with the interior designers tomorrow. I'm hoping that will be a lot of fun.

whoo hoo I love this stage :z:

Enjoy!

yvonneh · Sep 04, 2014 11:37 am

Exciting!!

Burnsfirsttime · Sep 04, 2014 11:48 am

Ooooh how did it go? Do you have photos for us??

trixee · Sep 04, 2014 12:15 pm

Lol - I haven't gone yet, burns! Will update tonight, I promise!

trixee · Sep 05, 2014 1:11 am

Well I have to say today was fun, but it took a long time for my head to stop spinning, quite a bit to process.

I met up with the designers at Homebase Expo. This consult was different to the last one, in that we didn't do any final selections, but we discussed what we wanted to achieve, and looked specifically at the design issues we had, the main ones being the kitchen and the ensuite.

As we wanted to use marble or granite, the upshot is that our next task is to go to a stone shop and get proper quotes for a feature stone that we like. Possibly for a few different stones, even.

And we have different combinations of things to get quoted on: using the stone as a splashback for the kitchen and ensuite, for example. Or just for the benchtops. Around the kitchen window. Not around the kitchen window. And so on. I've got a bit more detail in my blog if you want to have a look (sorry for being too lazy to copy and paste).

Once we decide on the feature stone, we can then get down to brass tacks and make those other tile and colour selections.

One of the things they suggested for bathroom basins and tapware, was to have squareish basins and rounded tapware, for a bit of contrast and softness. I thought that sounded good. They also said to get a large sink/trough for the vanity, instead of two separate basins. And preferably one large chunky tap, wall-mounted, although I think I prefer two separate taps. Need to mull this one over. But now that I've got this direction I'm happy to go out and choose sinks and taps. Yay!

Most importantly, I'm getting my excitement back now and am feeling a lot more relaxed about the whole thing.

housebythewater · Sep 05, 2014 1:20 am

Going over to your blog now, but before I forget, check out the tap in Simon and Shannon's powder room from last week's Block reveal. Looks very good.

trixee · Sep 05, 2014 1:33 am

We were just talking about that tap the other night actually! I like the angle on it. I'm pretty sure there's also a wall-mounted version.